D20 Combat and IMVU
In the d20 system, a single round encompasses about 6 seconds of a character's time. As defined on IMVU roleplay, a single round is the chain of events between the first character's post until the last character's post. Thus, your character's actions in a single post should be what is possible in under 6 seconds, just to give the longer winded posters a good gauge to judge just how many character actions they want to put into a post. Action Types There are 6 broad categories of actions in the d20 system, which I use in this RP as well: standard actions, move actions, full-round actions, free actions, swift actions, and immediate actions. In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can also perform one or more free actions. You can always take a move action in place of a standard action. Standard Action A standard action allows you to do something, most commonly make an attack or cast a spell. See Table: Standard Actions for other standard actions. Move Action A move action allows you to move your speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time. See Table: Move Actions. You can take a move action in place of a standard action. If you move no actual distance in a round (commonly because you have swapped your move for one or more equivalent actions), you can take one 5-foot step either before, during, or after the action. Full-Round Action A full-round action consumes all your effort during a round. The only movement you can take during a full-round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. You can also perform free actions (see below). Some full-round actions do not allow you to take a 5-foot step. Some full-round actions can be taken as standard actions, but only in situations when you are limited to performing only a standard action during your round. The descriptions of specific actions, below, detail which actions allow this option. Free Action Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, there are reasonable limits on what you can really do for free. Swift Action A swift action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform only a single swift action per turn. Immediate Action An immediate action is very similar to a swift action, but can be performed at any time — even if it's not your turn. Characters and their Abilities Strength (Str) Strength measures your character’s muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, and monks because it helps them prevail in combat. Strength also limits the amount of equipment your character can carry. You apply your character’s Strength modifier to: * Melee attack rolls. * Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon (including a sling). (Exceptions: Off-hand attacks receive only one-half the character’s Strength bonus, while two-handed attacks receive one and a half times the Strength bonus. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow that is not a composite bow.) * Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like). Dexterity (Dex) Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it’s also high on the list for characters who typically wear light or medium armor (rangers and barbarians) or no armor at all (monks, wizards, and sorcerers), and for anyone who wants to be a skilled archer. You apply your character’s Dexterity modifier to: * Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and other ranged weapons. * Armor Class (AC), provided that the character can react to the attack. * Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly. Constitution (Con) Constitution represents your character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes. You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to: * Each roll of a Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a result below 1—that is, a character always gains at least 1 hit point each time he or she advances in level). * Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats. If a character’s Constitution score changes enough to alter his or her Constitution modifier, the character’s hit points also increase or decrease accordingly. Intelligence (Int) Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. This ability is important for wizards because it affects how many spells they can cast, how hard their spells are to resist, and how powerful their spells can be. It’s also important for any character who wants to have a wide assortment of skills. You apply your character’s Intelligence modifier to: * The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game. * The number of skill points gained each level. (But your character always gets at least 1 skill point per level.) An animal has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. A creature of humanlike intelligence has a score of at least 3. Wisdom (Wis) Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings. Wisdom is the most important ability for clerics and druids, and it is also important for paladins and rangers. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score. You apply your character’s Wisdom modifier to: * Will saving throws (for negating the effect of charm person and other spells). Charisma (Cha) Charisma measures a character’s force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Every creature has a Charisma score. Character Ranks This RP handles ranks and the RP differently. A character's level more than their actual assigned rank is what determines strength. Thus it is possible to be a chuunin and be taken on jounin or even kage rank missions. Rank, as applied to a person OOC, is more reminiscent of a person's responsibility in the group. Chuunin are simply regular RPers who have come to enjoy the setting. A jounin is a person who has had some hand in creating stories and missions in the RP, but they are usually confined to being within their land. This RP has 5 mods or daimyo, one for each of the lands. IC they might have different ranks, but if there is a dispute in ruling between two ninja of the same land, then they both go and speak to the Daimyo. All decisions made by the Daimyo within their respective lands are considered final, though if the Daimyo feels that they wish to seek a second opinion they may ask their fellow mods or the GM, Nathree. The Daimyo are not so much focused on the day to day trends of RP, they instead set a direction that their Land follows, be it by setting missions to jounin, or whatever other manner they feel will best accomplish their task. A Daimyo may give a suggestion to another mod, but the second Daimyo is in no way obligated to follow that suggestion. Above the Daimyo is the GM, Nathree. His words and rulings are final and not subject to discussion. Though suggestions are always welcome in this RP, they should first be submitted to the Daimyo of your land. Please do keep in mind that the Daimyo are busy folks, and they are tasked with not only RP but also helping people make a character and other tasks, on top of their own RL commitments. Therefore, please do not pester them with repeated requests or trying to get something approved that was already denied. Due to the fairly complicated process of making a player's requested clan or jutsu a reality the request should be something truly unique and not simply a "clan with the byakugan's sensitivity but the sharingan's copy and genjutsu ability". A chuunin rank character is level 15 at creation. Remember that this is a freshly promoted chuunin, not a veteran of many wars and battles. As you RP and progress, your character will gain levels and thus become more powerful. A jounin ranked character is level 30 at creation. Though this character does have more life experience (as reflected in the higher level) such a character is still relatively a new-comer to their scene. Jounin are more talented in more areas than chuunin, but a new jounin character will not necessarily be equal to Kakashi or those jounin from the show, but they have begun their path into not only local but worldwide renown. A Kage ranked character is level 45 at creation. These ninjas are not only experienced but also have leadership capability, able to fight toe-to-toe with several jounin. They have not only reached the pinnacle of their chosen path, but also have started towards mastering a second or a third skill by now. This is the highest level that a new character can be. The highest level a character can be in this RP is 65. These characters are truly the pinnacle of human potential. No character can start at this level. Approaching the power of Madara, Sasuke, or Naruto, these characters are legendary in every sense of the word. They have shaped not only their own generation but potentially the history and future of the shinobi itself. Upon attainment of this level, a character is by no means forbidden to be played, but they will no longer level up regardless of RP or missions. Though this RP does not, nor ever will, have any zones or OOC restrictions upon actions, it is an unspoken rule that mortal combat between characters with a high level disparity is discouraged. Imagine if Madara had come to the Leaf Village and the starting Team 7 had to fight him, not only would that fight have not lasted long, it might never even have started in the first place. Jounin and Kage should not see their chuunin-ranked characters as spare part farms, nor should they be killing off lower leveled players for their kekkei genkai. Apart from it not granting as much of a benefit as taking a more developed Sharingan, for example, repeated practice of this trend will draw not only the retribution of the Council of Daimyo, but also the GM. If it becomes necessary, a player will find their characters killed and they will be starting as a gennin (level 1) without the protection of this rule. Player bans are the sole domain of the GM. A Daimyo or a group of Daimyo can certainly recommend a problem-maker for banning, and their words will carry more weight than anyone else's when it comes to this topic, but they do not have the direct power of banning a person from the RP. However, if 2 or more mods are recommending a player's removal 80% of the time it will result in such an action being undertaken.